You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!

It's not life and death. (note: I agree with you, I think they should be an essential service because it's essential to our way of life, same way as teachers are - but no one's going to die due to a big trash pile somewhere, versus no police or doctors)

wait till the rat population grows and starts spreading diseases around. then it's a health issue.

who manages the waterworks for city of toronto? different union group i presume? imagine if they went on strike...that would be life or death for sure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigD

It's not life and death. (note: I agree with you, I think they should be an essential service because it's essential to our way of life, same way as teachers are - but no one's going to die due to a big trash pile somewhere, versus no police or doctors)

Wow....1% that rough. Lets see, I work in the private sector and this is what it has been like for me for the past 3 years

year 1 = 0%
year 2 = 0%
year 3 = 0% i'm consider lucky because if I had stayed at my old company it would have went -10%

On top of that our benefits has been CUT, not stayed the same, CUT. I'm pretty sure that this pattern is the norm for the private sector for the past couple of years.

Are you striking? how many months did you go without pay? lose one month of pay every 3 years and that's roughly equivalent to -3%. Toronto is looking to cut benefits as well so it looks like you are in the same boat as City employees.

Toronto city councillors approved a $1.4-billion capital budget Wednesday that will see the city's debt and spending grow, even as a backlog of repairs sit idle.
The capital budget plan includes the construction of a police training centre in Etobicoke, renovations at City Hall and creation of new bicycle lanes.
More than half of the overall budget, $717 million, will be spent on public transit, such as the purchase of new buses and subway cars.
Mayor David Miller pointed to the expenditure as unsustainable, stressing the need for long-term funding from the federal and provincial government.
"That's the key thing. That is the driver of all the financing in the city of Toronto — the need to pay for public transit," Miller said.
Debt to rise over $3B in 2011
City councillors were concerned about Toronto's debt which is expected to grow from $2.6 billion this year to more than $3 billion in five years.
Coun. Denzil Minan-Wong called the budget a short-sighted one that will dig the city into a deeper hole.
He questioned the $3 million approved for renovations to expand the mayor's office and committee rooms at City Hall.
"It's about choices and the mayor made his choice and that was to fix his office and buy new office furniture," said Minan-Wong.
Meanwhile, the backlog of road work stands at more than $300 million and work on park and recreation facilities is nearly $200 million.
Debt could hurt day-to-day services
About 10 per cent of Toronto's tax revenue this year will go toward paying off the debt and is set to increase to 15 per cent in five years.
Toronto's chief financial officer Joseph Pennachetti said the city will be in trouble if the debt goes any higher.
"The increase in debt is going to be a burden that actually does impinge on providing the day-to-day core municipal services to our residents," he said.
But while the debt is growing, budget chair Shelley Carroll said, the city doesn't have a choice.
"What we are looking at is those things that just can't wait," she said. "All of it is based on the citizens' needs, this city's health."

In the 10 years since the amalgamated Toronto was formed, net debt has risen from less than $1 billion in 1998 to $2.4 billion in 2007.
"The debt is spiralling out of control," Councillor Doug Holyday told reporters yesterday as city council voted 34-10 in favour of next year's proposed capital budget, which is expected to push the debt level to $2.6 billion in 2008.
As borrowing escalates, so does the cost of paying it back. Interest and principal payments are expected to rise by $40 million to $443 million in 2008, making debt repayment the second biggest expense in the operating budget after the police department.
Just less than half of the $1.6 billion in capital spending proposed for 2008 goes to the transit system to buy buses, streetcars and subway cars, as well as new signals to make the Yonge subway line run better.
The second-largest item is for roads, at 16 per cent of the total budget. But the spending won't be enough to reduce the backlog of road repairs – expected to grow from $300 million to $400 million over the next five years.
About one-third of the $1.6 billion it will cost to maintain and upgrade the city's hard assets next year will come from borrowing. One-third will come from property taxes and reserves, and a third from the provincial and federal governments.
Budget chief Shelley Carroll described the debt picture as "a huge worry, but at the same time, we don't have an option. The riders are coming to the Toronto Transit Commission regardless of the fact that we haven't really given them the capacity.
"In terms of the environmental plan, given the federal government seems to be abdicating its responsibility, you bet it's a priority," she said, responding to Holyday's critique as to whether the city could afford to "break the bank" trying to be a world leader on the environment. "As is happening all over the world, cities are having to take the lead because federal governments don't seem to be able to move fast enough to save our environment."
Council also unanimously endorsed a plan to offer tax incentives to businesses that make substantial investments in the city.
The move comes as Toronto continues to lose jobs including well-paying manufacturing positions to elsewhere in Greater Toronto Area, where land values are cheaper and property taxes are lower. Since 1990, Toronto has lost 54,000 jobs, while the 905 area has added more than 700,000 jobs.
Under the plan, current property taxes will still apply. But when particular industries pour money into a property, driving up the property value and by extension, property taxes, the city will collect only a partial amount of the additional taxes generated over the first 10 years.
"It's using some of the increase in tax revenue to give a little subsidy," said Mayor David Miller. "It will allow us to welcome new jobs and new prosperity."
Councillor Kyle Rae, who spearheaded the plan that will be finalized in April, said it will allow Toronto to compete with other cities.
Ten U.S. states have economic development offices in Toronto whose sole job is to lure investment south of the border, Rae said.
The tax incentive plan will only apply to certain industries such as film, food and beverage manufacturing, biotech and information technology. The city has never offered tax incentives to lure business here, except in a small pilot project in south Etobicoke.

Sirex your BS about unions saving the world is worst.I can promise if you contract out jobs service be a lot better.Turtle did out trash removal for a while and they did a fantastic job,they cleaned up everything even some of the loose garbage,when was the last time you a union member go the extra mile to do their job.So your BS about unions changing people life for the better is more chit than the union demands.

You still haven't answered my question, what is your line of work, and how replaceable is it by a Chinese worker or a Mexican for 1/5th your wage?

Unions wont save the world. Good unions will ensure their employees dont get dicked around by shaddy no good employers who want to cut corners.

No I'm not striking because I know that striking is useless in my line of work
Striking is like saying "fire me". So the point is that alot of people are in the same boat as these people but they don't go whining about it. They don't go holding other people hostage because their employer cut their pay, cut their benefits. Times are tough, suck it up and stop ****ing whining.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miguel

Are you striking? how many months did you go without pay? lose one month of pay every 3 years and that's roughly equivalent to -3%. Toronto is looking to cut benefits as well so it looks like you are in the same boat as City employees.

Okay, I dont know if you know this but thats now how union works, or contracts.

Firstly, its not like they one day decided LETS have a strike. They were on a contract that expired. Their contract says X... They want to renew their contract, but the employer is now saying Y > X, thereofre take Y. The union says Y is a pile of shit, we want X.

Technically if youre on contract, and you dont like the contract youre getting, you walk.

Thats more or less what this is, a strike is a walk. If the city really wanted to it could say **** u too everyone and go with private enterprise, etc.

What if your employer decided that your contract was up, and they would resign you for the same job but at 1/2 the pay rate? In effect, taking you hostage for your work.. wouldn't be so cut and dry then would it now? Specially when u have a mortage to pay, and a kid to feed.q